The AFC West still runs through its star quarterbacks, but this year’s division race may hinge just as much on what its rookies can do right away.
Denver Broncos
Bo Nix led the league in passing attempts last season, though that had as much to do with circumstance as design. J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending foot injury in Week 10 left Denver without a reliable run game down the stretch, forcing Nix to carry the offense through the air. He answered by leading the NFL in passing yards and establishing himself as a legitimate MVP candidate.
This year could look different. With Dobbins healthy, second-year back RJ Harvey in the mix and fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman added to the room, Denver finally has the ground game to take pressure off Nix. Coleman, at 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds, plays bigger than his size suggests and has a knack for finishing in short yardage, exactly the kind of complementary piece that could make Nix even more dangerous with Jaylen Waddle now added to the receiving corps. Does the AFC West have its best team ready to go?
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers hired Mike McDaniel to unlock an offense that has flashed talent without ever overwhelming anyone, but they also lost defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the Ravens’ head coaching job. Those two moves could largely cancel each other out, leaving Los Angeles in the same tier it has occupied the last two seasons: an 11-6 finish followed by a one-and-done playoff exit.
The Chargers used their draft to shore up the trenches, adding edge rusher Akheem Mesidor and interior lineman Jake Slaughter. Slaughter may prove the quieter but more urgent addition. With the team’s top tackles working back from injury, his versatility to play guard or center gives Los Angeles a real chance to stabilize a line that has struggled to keep Justin Herbert upright.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City enters 2026 thinner than it has been in years, having lost much of its starting secondary while spending big to add running back Kenneth Walker III. With Denver and Los Angeles both trending up, the Chiefs could miss the playoffs for a second consecutive season, an unfamiliar position in the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid era.
The team’s most important newcomer isn’t on offense. Cornerback Mansoor Delane, taken sixth overall after Kansas City traded up and moved on from Trent McDuffie, needs to become a No. 1 corner immediately. At 6-foot, 190 pounds, Delane profiles as a physical, instinctive defender, exactly the kind of piece defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will lean on if the Chiefs hope to salvage their season on defense.
Related: The problem with Klint Kubiak’s original Raiders quarterback plan
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders spent the offseason building around Kirk Cousins, but the more consequential story may be how quickly rookie Fernando Mendoza pushes him aside. The No. 1 overall pick brings the coaching fit, in Klint Kubiak, and the traits, accuracy, velocity and football intelligence, to take over sooner rather than later. Minority owner Tom Brady’s presence only adds to the sense that Las Vegas is building around its rookie quarterback’s timeline, not Cousins’.
There’s no need to rush Mendoza onto the field. But if the season plays out the way the Raiders privately hope, he could end up starting more games than the veteran they brought in to man the position.
Quarterbacks will keep drawing the cameras across the AFC West this season. How fast Coleman, Delane, Slaughter and Mendoza develop, though, may decide who’s actually playing in January.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/Getty Images